Iraq pushes revenue collection plan amid university protests
Shafaq News– Baghdad
Iraq’s caretaker government recommended creating a new body to collect public revenues on Monday, as protests by university employees over recent financial measures continued to expand across several provinces.
According to a statement from caretaker Prime Minister Mohammad Shia Al-Sudani's media office, the step followed a meeting of the Ministerial Council for the Economy, which Al-Sudani chaired to advance measures aimed at boosting state revenues and tightening public spending in line with current fiscal priorities.
The council called for the establishment of a General Directorate for Public Revenue Collection, with Al-Sudani directing the formation of a committee to prepare the directorate’s organizational structure, define its duties, and assess its technical and logistical requirements.
Meanwhile, protests and strikes by Iraqi university employees continued for a second day in Baghdad, Najaf, Basra, Dhi Qar, Maysan, Al-Anbar, and Nineveh over a cabinet decision to cut university allowances, Shafaq News correspondent said.
While the Ministry of Finance previously clarified that allowances would apply only to employees fully dedicated to teaching duties in higher education and health institutions, aimed at boosting revenues and tightening spending, several lawmakers criticized the measures as unconstitutional, warning that they place additional financial burdens on both the state and citizens.
Against this backdrop, Iraq’s parliament postponed a session scheduled for Monday to review recent economic decisions by the caretaker government, including measures related to salaries, university allowances, and increases in fees and customs tariffs. A lawmaker told our agency that the leadership of the Council of Representatives adjourned the session after failing to reach a legal quorum.
